The night before a marathon, two athletes eat the same bowl of pasta. One is simply topping up their glycogen. The other has spent days creating the physiological conditions to store far more of it. Giles Elmore explains the science behind true carbohydrate loading, why a single pasta dinner is not enough, and how getting it right can improve endurance performance by 2-3% and delay fatigue by up to 20%.

Most endurance athletes focus on what they consume during a ride, but the real work of adaptation happens afterwards. In this piece, Giles Elmore (BSc Hons, MRSPH) explains why protein is one of the most important nutrients in an endurance athlete's diet. Drawing on current research, he makes the case that protein supports muscle repair, training adaptation, and long-term performance in ways that carbohydrates simply cannot. Whether you are managing body composition, training through a heavy block, or simply trying to recover well enough to ride again tomorrow, getting your protein right matters more than most cyclists realise.

Gels shouldn't be a rescue solution

When it comes to carbohydrate availability and performance, timing matters far more than most cyclists realise. Taking a gel midway through a ride does not simply refill glycogen by the time fatigue appears, levels have often been falling for some time. Once muscle glycogen becomes significantly depleted, performance may not fully recover even when carbohydrates are consumed. Fuelling during exercise should not be reactive. It should be treated as preservation.